The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) is one of the supporting partners of the 8th Asia-Europe Foundation’s (ASEF) Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARC8) entitled “Outlook 2030: Inclusive and Diverse Higher Education in Asia and Europe.” ARC8 will be held on 10 September 2021, between 7.00-13.00 GMT via Youtube and Whova platforms.
The conference invites all stakeholders in higher education development in Asia and Europe, especially university leaders, managers or academics, professionals or experts in tertiary education, student or youth organisation leaders, representatives, policymakers, and government or senior officials working in one of the 51 Asia-Europe Meeting Partner countries, or in the institutions of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU).
The objectives of the event include the official launching of the ARC8 Outlook Report 2030: Inclusive and Diverse Higher Education in Asia and Europe: engaging regional partners and stakeholders to review risks and opportunities for inclusion in higher education in the next decade; discussing the recommendations of the report for policymakers and communities of higher education practitioners to foster greater inclusion in their work; and networking among participants to find new partners in creating a more equitable, inclusive, and quality higher education by 2030.
The UPOU has been actively supporting and participating in the annual event for the past years. UPOU Chancellor Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria was one of the two speakers in the first session of the (ASEF) 8th Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARC8) which was held in December 2020. She served as the Speaker at the 7th ASEF Rector’s Conference and Students’ Forum (ARC7) which was held in Bucharest, Romania on 11-14 May 2019. She was also present at the 6th ASEF Rectors’ Conference (ARC6) which took place in Singapore on 12-13 October 2017. Currently, Dr. Bandalaria is one of the distinguished members of the ARC8 Expert Group on Inclusive and Flexible Lifelong Learning Pathways.
The ASEF Regional Conference on Higher Education (ARC) – formerly known as the ASEF Rectors’ Conference and Students’ Forum – is the Official Dialogue Partner of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Education Ministers Meeting (ASEMME) and the only bi-regional multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for university and student leaders, policymakers and ministers to discuss higher education issues and shape the education landscape in Asia and Europe.
ASEF is an intergovernmental not-for-profit organisation located in Singapore. Founded in 1997, it is the only institution of the ASEM. ASEF promotes understanding, strengthens relationships and facilitates cooperation among the people, institutions and organisations of Asia and Europe. ASEF enhances dialogue, enables exchanges and encourages collaboration across the thematic areas of culture, education, governance, sustainable development, economy and public health.
The ASEM, on the other hand, is an intergovernmental process established in 1996 to foster dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe. Presently it comprises 53 partners — 30 European and 21 Asian countries, the European Union and the ASEAN Secretariat. ASEM addresses political, economic, financial, social, cultural, and educational issues of common interest, in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership.
ARC8 is a free event and registration confirmation is on a first come first served basis up to 500 slots. For more information regarding the conference, you may visit ARC8. To register, please access https://arc.asef.org/.
Written by Jaime O. Guimbao
Edited by Joane V. Serrano and Anna Cañas-Llamas
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